Anne Arundel residents: Why we live here

More than a half-million people call Anne Arundel County home, living among the urban streets of Glen Burnie, the horse farms of Harwood, the beach cottages of Shady Side, the Georgian mansions of historic Annapolis, and everyplace in between.

TIM PRUDENTE, tprudente@capgaznews.com

More than a half-million people call Anne Arundel County home, living among the urban streets of Glen Burnie, the horse farms of Harwood, the beach cottages of Shady Side, the Georgian mansions of historic Annapolis, and everyplace in between.

Ralph Rogers’ roots go back a century in the south county community of Shady Side, home of his father, grandfather, great-grandfather and the “good living” that’s enchanted him for 57 years.

Sloane Layman, at age 3, attends nursery school at Creative Garden in the planned community of Crofton, same as her father, Brian Layman, decades ago.

Mike Zawartka returns to his Severna Park neighborhood to curl his toes in the sand of its private beach where, he says, “You’re at the resort as soon as you get off work.”

Come visit them and others to glimpse the charm of living in Anne Arundel. Its residents are as diverse as its neighborhoods.

Cape St. Claire

Her doctors cautioned against walking the neighborhood barefoot, but shoes bother Mary Rowe and she delights in evening strolls when the sun drips, the birds greet her, and occasionally a curbside treasure awaits.

“Can you believe? Somebody was going to throw it in the dump,” she says, her fingers flicking the keys of a discarded typewriter.

Rowe divorced in 1999 and thought she couldn’t afford to live in Annapolis, or anywhere near the charming town where she led tours of school groups.

She quit nursing to raise her two boys in Howard County, later working part-time with the tour company, divorcing and discovering an affordable Cape St. Claire home. A decade after buying, she’s still gushing.

“I adore this place. It’s just the coolest. I can take my kayak down to the beach. It’s more than just a house.”

She retired in June from working the night shift at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Now, there’s more time for walking and accepting from a neighborhood gardener enough greens to fill a suitcase.

She thinks of those drives home from the hospital, in the early-morning dark.

“I would come across the Severn River Bridge and see the lights.

“It was thrilling.”

Severna Park

To Mike Zawartka, vacation begins at home in the Ben Oaks community of Severna Park: tubing on the Severn River, lounging at the quiet, community beach.

“It’s a relaxing style of living,” he says.

Zawartka grew up in Pasadena and moved to Severna Park about a decade ago. His wife, Beth, was born in Severna Park. They have three boys. The youngest, 8-year-old Landon, is learning to swim at the community beach, under dad’s watch.

Zawartka works as assistant store manager at Lowe’s Home Improvement in Glen Burnie. He says his family has no plans to leave.

“The only place we’ll move is to a bigger house in the neighborhood.”

Pasadena

When Jennifer Sutton was young girl in south Baltimore, the ‘Dena was a summertime vacation destination. She moved there as a child and it’s still her home today.

Despite development and busier streets, Pasadena retains that small-town charm, she says.

“It’s like a big family. If somebody’s down, we do something to pick them up.”

She works as an office manager for Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association on Fort Smallwood Road. Her husband, Matthew, works at the barbershop next door.

They lunch together, sometimes driving a few miles home to check in on their two teenage sons.

Jennifer married and divorced in 2009, always listening, she says, for news of Matthew.

Divorced, she reached out to him. They married two years ago with the biggest party Pasadena ever saw, she says.

“It took all these years, but I finally got him.”

Glen Burnie

“If I knew you were coming, I’d have put my teeth in,” jokes Bob Yasem, as his photograph is taken.

He’s 69 years old, with the nickname “Cowboy” earned in a pool hall. Afternoons, he plays at a senior center. He’s called Glen Burnie home since 1971.

“I’m within 5 or 10 minutes of everything. It’s all right here,” he says.

Born in Norfolk, Va., Yasem enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, spending a year in Vietnam, where his exposure to Agent Orange caused cancer in his lymph nodes. He’s been in remission 19 years and returns daily to shoot pool with the old pals. His wife, Peggy, stays home.

“This is like the mob,” he says, grinning. “Once you’re in, you can’t get out.”

Jerry Smith stands across the pool table, waiting for his shot.

He retired as an accountant and moved nearby to Queens Road 43 years ago. The neighborhood, he says, changed little.

“It’s got a lot of old timers. All the teenagers have grown up and moved away,” he says. “It’s just peaceful.”

Crofton

The fire truck is missing wheels.

“Hey, where do you think those wheels are?” asks Sloane Layman, turning over puzzle pieces at the West County Area Library in Odenton.

Sloane is 3, spending summer with puzzles at the library, swim lessons at North Arundel Aquatic Center, and some afternoons at Baltimore Orioles baseball games.

Her mother, Sharon, teaches at Piney Orchard Elementary and prefers west county for its location.

“You can be anywhere in a half hour,” she says.

Sharon grew up in Prince George’s County. Her husband, Brian, graduated from Old Mill High School. They live in Piney Orchard for quality schools, the swimming, baseball, and an easy drive to the beach — enough, most days, to entertain a 3 year old.